zellechan’s diary

All of my blogs are based on my personal experiences only ^^

I got a 30-day visa with a Japanese Guarantor! Yey!

Things to REMEMBER:

  1. Use only A4 size paper in ALL the documents
  2. Make reading a habit to get as much information you need. Search. Search. Search.
  3. Be patient! It’s not easy for the Japanese guarantor to make all the documents.

 

Here’s what me and my (Japanese) boyfriend did to get my Japan visa:

  • He asked his father if he could be my guarantor since my boyfriend isn’t working in Japan yet. We did this because we both know that the money he earned working in Australia won’t be enough to support my stay in Japan. Luckily, his father is very supportive, so he agreed. Yey!
  • We checked online all the requirements needed. In my case, since I am from Cavite, the nearest accredited travel agency is Reli Travel and Tours (SM Southmall branch) Here’s the link to their website: http://www.relitours.ph/en-visa.html

P.S. Please make sure to read everything, they also have sample application form in Tagalog.

  • My boyfriend paid an agency in Japan to help him with the requirements. So, the staff from the agency checked all the requirements that my boyfriend and his father did to make sure that my visa will be approved. According to my boyfriend, he paid the agency 4 thousand pesos, though I am not sure if it’s a fixed rate or whatever.

My boyfriend’s father’s requirements:

  1. INVITATION LETTER FROM GUARANTOR IN JAPAN- The agency helped them to make a letter.
  2. GUARANTOR FORM- The form can be downloaded online and your guarantor should fill this up handwritten with his stamp.
  3. INCOME CERTIFICATE(Shotoku Shomei) from City Hall
  4. TAX RETURN CERTIFICATE with Gross Income (Nouzei-shomeisho: form 2) from Tax office.
  5. KAKUTEI-SHINKOKUSHO-HIKAE
  6. BANK CERTIFICATE(Yokin Zandaka Shomeisho)- Not everyone would like to show how much money they have on their bank accounts LOL
  7. RESIDENCE CERTIFICATE (JUMINHYO) of the FRIEND, ACQUAINTANCE and GUARANTOR IN JAPAN- Anyone in the family can get this. In here, all of the members in the family will be included on the list

 

P.S. If you are planning to stay longer in Japan, you need to make sure that your guarantor has a “huge” amount money in his bank or the salary he earns will be enough for you to stay in Japan. The embassy is measuring the guarantor’s financial capability thru the documents he’s going to provide therefore, it’s better if your guarantor could submit more than one document (numbers 3-6). As for my guarantor he gave me Income Certificate and tax return with gross income.

 

My boyfriend’s requirements:

  1. Invitation letter- Here, he explained how we met each other, what were the things we did together, the places we went to and things like that.
  2. Invitation form- Can be downloaded online as well.
  3. My daily schedule in Japan from day 1 till I go back to Manila. 

    f:id:zellechan:20180216013906p:plain

  4. Proof of our relationship- We chose 6 of our photos from different places with different people that we spent our time with. It’s better if you could prove that you spent time with each other, so choose photos that was taken from different places. As for us, we went to Baguio, Batangas, Tagaytay, Bulacan together and he met my family, some of my friends and relatives. We also included the screenshots of our chats and text messages with the date and time because it would determine how long you have known each other.
  5. Hotel and flight booking (optional)- These are not required, however my boyfriend and I were very optimistic about the outcome of my visa application so he already booked my flight to Japan and hotel where we are going to stay in before he sent me the documents. We also included the reservations as part of my visa requirements.

 

P.S After making sure that the requirements are correct and complete, he sent the documents to me thru EMS. You can track online current location and status of your parcel. He sent it to me on Friday and I received it on Monday at around 5 P.M.

 

My requirements:

  1. Birth Certificate- You should submit the original copy and it should be issued within a year. I went to NSO serbilis in Pasay City and they release birth certificates within the day. Usually, releasing time is 1 hour, you can wait there. It costs 140 pesos. 
  2. Photo- Your photo should be 45x45 or 2x2. Just tell the photo studio that it is for Japan visa. You need to make sure to write your complete name and date of birth at the back of your photo before gluing it to your application. Please put glue on all sides, not only in the middle and do not use scotch tape or staple wires.
  3. Passport- this is very important LOL. According to Reli’s website, broken passport is not accepted. Passports must be signed and must have at least two (2) blank visa pages.
  4. Visa application form- Again, you should print this out using A4 size paper. If you are not confident of your handwriting you can fill it out online then print once done. Make sure to fill the application form neatly, no erasures. Write N/A if not applicable, do not leave any blanks.

After I received the documents from Japan, I also made sure that my requirements are complete and correct. I even filled out my application form at home so when I arrived in Reli, I just handed all of the requirements to them and the Filipino staff checked first then endorsed it to the Japanese staff. I felt relieved when the Japanese staff said that my requirements are good to go. I paid 2,000 pesos for the visa.

Applying for the visa won’t take that long; however, preparing the requirements requires a lot of time and effort.

 

December 1- He sent me the documents from Japan thru EMS.

December 4- I received it at around 5 P.M.

December 5- I submitted all the documents to Reli, SM Southmall branch.

December 7- This was the issued date on my Visa.

December 8- I called them to check if my passport is ready for pick up but they asked me to call them back after the lunch break. I called them back at around 3:30 P.M. then they confirmed that my passport is ready for pick up.

Heads up: They will not tell you if your visa is approved or not, you need to claim your passport.  Claiming is only until 7 P.M. I arrived there just in time because I went all the way from Cavite and there was a heavy traffic jam. I was nervous actually, I was thinking that if my visa is denied, my flight is non-refundable, but after seeing the looks of the Japanese staff while signing something before they released my passport, he smiled at me because he saw that my 30 days visa was granted. And finally, the Filipino staff asked me to sign their releasing sheet and told me that my visa is for 30 days and the validity is 3 months. I was like, “OMG, finally, I can go to Japan to visit my boyfriend and meet his family!”